How Self Driving Cars Could Impact Us

By Danielle Harris, Published on Jun 19, 2018

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The advancement in driverless cars

Ever since its’ humble beginning at the hands of Henry Ford, the car has been the focal point of our everyday lives, and as such is no longer just a mere transportation device, but has instead taken many unexpected forms, morphing even into its’ very own art form, something both aesthetic and efficient at the same time.

Once we mastered the art of ground transport, questions about self driving vehicles and efficiency of transport without human aid arose in astonishing numbers. As the first prototypes emerged from the shadows of their respective factories, all the leading experts exclamate one crucial facet of this technological wonder – the security. Can the driverless vehicles master the rules of human traffic and be entirely able to coexist with more temperamental human drivers, on real-life roads and in everyday, ordinary and extraordinary situations? Maybe so, as the tests have proven.

Will the human drivers bully driverless cars?

Swedish automaking giant VOLVO posed a crucial and burning question, set to intrigue the minds of engineers worldwide – if the driverless car doesn’t have a mind of its’ own, can it be “bullied” on the road by its’ human counterparts? They are set to put this hypothesis to a test by releasing a total of 100 vehicles on London’s main roads by 2018. The VOLVO will not stand from the crowd at all, as the experts wish to see whether drivers will disobey traffic rules just because they are aware of the fact that there could be no fatalities in the other vehicle in case of an accident. It would be smart to get ready for a lot of overtakes, aggressive braking and other violations.

As laughable as they may first seem, these concerns are completely legitimate as every self-driving car interface has been programmed to err on the side of caution and passiveness, in order to eliminate the risk of accidents and the bad publicity that would come with it. With that in mind, their behavior on the road would be much more mild and rule-abiding than the average human driver with blood boiling in his veins because of a traffic jam.

The future of driverless cars

In a survey conducted on 12.000 respondents in the EU, scientists concluded that more aggressive and combative drivers welcome the idea of driverless vehicles on the roads, mainly because they can have their way with them if needed, with no possibility of facing retaliation. The more calm and collected drivers weren’t so thrilled about the idea of self-driven cars, possibly because those who tend to be calmer at the wheel value human contact in traffic more, they notice every meticulous detail and appreciate it. Either way, one day we are all going to have to welcome them with open arms, open lanes and open parking spaces, whether we like it or not.

Given the fact that self-driven automotive vehicles are still only a far-fetched experiment, they are still vulnerable to an avalanche of possible questions and flaws such as: Whether the pedestrians will be more in danger with the robot’s lack of intuition and quick thinking? How fast can we human react if the system malfunctions and the vehicle goes berserk?

Everything in that category is up for debate and we will have more definite answers at the end of 2018, so until then take a deep breath whenever you want to lash out at someone in traffic and be nice especially to your driverless companions.